Seeds for Needs

Farmers scoring wheat varieties in a field trial in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Credit: Bioversity International/J.V.Gevel

Seeds for Needs: Using crop diversity to adapt to climate change

"We need to use crop diversity to meet the demands of the future" says Mergeta, a farmer Bioversity International works with in northern Ethiopia.

Challenge

With climatic uncertainty projected to increase in the future, agriculture and food security are more vulnerable than ever. Poor smallholder farming communities in the developing world will be hardest hit. These farmers need quick solutions – especially seeds able to thrive in a changing climate.

Solution

Seeds for Needs

Bioversity International's Seeds for Needs approach provides an effective and cost-efficient way improve and diversify smallholder seed systems through better information and access to a portfolio of adapted crops and varieties.

In 14 countries across Africa, Asia and Central America, more than 40,000 farmers have become citizen scientists evaluating and selecting varieties, providing critical feedback on the seeds that meet their needs.

The Seeds for Needs approach creates lasting solutions for resilience and climate change adaptation for smallholder farming communities at a global scale.

Judging the ear by its spike

Credit: Roberto Gonzalez

The low cost and simple nature of new kinds of trials means that farms previously bypassed by participatory research for any reason – such as social conflict or remoteness – can contribute to researching the future of their planting diversity. At the same time, high-tech approaches allow farmers to show breeders where to look for the genes that make a variety more desirable.

Agricultural biodiversity and climate change

Dr Carlo Fadda talks about the importance of using agricultural biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa to suit farmers' future needs in the face of climate change. He's leading the 'Seeds for Needs' initiative that is working with farmers to see how agricultural biodiversity can help minimize the risks associated with climate change.